


Dead of Night - A Walking dead story

by sexysiren1981



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:07:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23786059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sexysiren1981/pseuds/sexysiren1981
Summary: Shane saves Lori and Carl when the world ends, but is it for his friend, Rick or is it because he has always harboured feelings for Lori?
Relationships: Lori Grimes/Shane Walsh





	Dead of Night - A Walking dead story

The world had gone to shit, fire and brimstone falling from the sky bringing death in its wake. Demons consumed everything left alive by the blaze. They were bombing the city, napalm flattening every building there was, in a vain attempt to destroy the monsters who preyed on everyone.

It must be too late to save. Why else would they destroy an entire city?

Lori was terrified, but she tried not to lose her head, for Carl's sake. For Shane's sake.

He wouldn't want her to fall apart now just when he needed her to have her wits about her.

Shane was there so she couldn't truly be scared, not with his strength shielding her and Carl from the insanity and monsters surrounding them. He was a warrior, like the Vikings of old, defending them as if they were his to keep safe. Lori had always known that Shane was dangerous. It had made her uncomfortable around him in the past, but that was before the world had gone crazy, now, his savagery was her only salvation.

Shane would somehow get them out of this hell, she trusted him, he would protect them or die trying.

Rick was gone. Dead. Probably eaten by those creatures while he lay on the hospital bed in a coma.

Fresh tears threatened, stinging at her eyes. She brushed them away impatiently - there was no time for that now.

Carl's hand clung to hers as they raced towards a car which had been deserted along the road side. Shane held her other hand in a death grip, pulling her with him, forcing her to keep up with his punishing stride. Snarling, snapping and growling followed them as they ran, she didn't dare look back.

The demons were hungry for their flesh, fresh fear threatened to over power her as Shane pushed her and Carl inside the SUV and dash around to the drivers seat.

Lori made sure that her window was rolled up, the door locked, Carl safely tucked away behind her in the back seat.

Just as Shane started the engine a snapping snarling creature reached for him through his open window. Shane didn't hesitate as he pulled his gun out and blew the top of it's head off, rancid blood splattering his face in a fine spray. He didn't stop to wipe it away, simply gunning the engine and accelerating away from the herd of undead walkers advancing on them. Others were not so lucky to get away and agonising screams echoed through the night air. Lori swallowed hard, taking Carl's hand, it found its way into hers once more.

They were safe for now.

"Where are we going?" She asked, her voice hoarse, tears slipping unheeded down her cheeks.

Shane didn't reply at first, navigating between the shuffling walkers who littered the highway feeding on the fallen and the forgotten.

Carl squeezed her hand and she returned the pressure automatically, her gaze remaining on Shane's profile which was barely visible in the gloom. His hard features were frozen, determination etched into a death mask.

Lori clung to this.

Him.

He was the stability in this crazily tilting world; her anchor in the savage storm of the walking dead threatening to destroy their entire world.

The car darted through the debris which littered the road, expertly manoeuvred by Shane's steady hands and his experience with high speed car chases.

Grey distorted figures ate the living voraciously, tearing get them apart like a live horror show everywhere she looked.

Finally free from the mass grave yard along route 52, they sped into the warm darkness.

The absence of the terror was marked as their breathing slowly returned to normal and Carl released her hand.

Shane reached over and placed his hand on her leg, a gesture of comfort, just making sure that she was okay. Without thought she placed hers over his, holding it tightly and forcing him to drive one handed.

"You okay? " he asked at last, his drawl clipped with worry.

She nodded jerkily. "Yes."

She turned her head and saw Carl slump against the seat, spent, after his suffocating fear.

"Where are we going?"

Shane didn't reply at first, his aquiline profile hard with concealed terror, his dark eyes hard and brittle.

"We are going to look for shelter, somewhere we can spend the night and get our bearings."

Lori didn't reply, her entire being focused on the heat radiating from Shane's hand where it lay against her thigh.

He felt alive, strong and real.

She didn't question his familiarity. She needed him to lean on.

Carl was awake, his wild gaze staring out at the pitch darkness as if he expected a monster to appear. His freckles stood out starkly against his pale skin, the sight tore at Lori's heart strings.

This was her child, Rick's boy, she'd protect him at all costs.

Vehicles still littered the highway, abandoned for the most part, a few bodies laying on the grass and tar.

As they passed by she saw a dead woman begin to move, reanimated, unnaturally jerky and alien.

A shudder shook her body at the sight of what they'd seen happening all day.

The dead were walking.

Was it a virus? Were they infected too?

A deeper fear too hold of her gut, cold sweat drenching her body.

Were they all damned?

They drove in silence, the headlights off, for fear of drawing unwanted attention.

They reached what looked like an old farm, it appeared deserted.

Shane pulled up and turned off the engine, his gaze raking everywhere the moonlight touched, his hand only now leaving her leg, as he withdrew his weapon.

"Stay in the car. I'll make sure that the area is clear. Do not follow me, if I don't come back, drive away, don't go lookin' for me."

Lori didn't protest even though she did in her mind, she knew it was pointless to argue, his words were true.

He slowly stepped out of the vehicle and shut the door as quietly as possible.

Carl reached for her, his body bent to hug her through the narrow gap between the seats. She clung to him too, pressing a kiss into his forehead, damp with perspiration.

"Shhhh," she whispered soothingly as Shane rounded the corner beside the house and disappeared into darkness.

"Will he be back?" Carl asked, his young voice quivering with fear.

Lori's eyes never left the spot Shane had disappeared, "Of course he will, he's Shane."

A ghost of a smile touched Carl's face, "Yeah, he is strong, they wont get him."

Minutes ticked by, every small sound from the surrounding forest making her and Carl jump.

Suddenly, Shane came back towards them from behind the barn.

His face had fresh smears on it.

"It's clear now," he stated. "Let's go inside the barn, we can lock ourselves in there until morning."

Lori noticed how he avoided looked at the house.

"Was it occupied?"

Shane nodded. "It was."

Lori swallowed hard. "Thank you."

"Come on," Shane took Carl's hand in his, "We have to move quickly, we don't want to draw any attention to ourselves."

~Flashback~

Shouted voices echoed through the streets as Lori Grimes sat hunkered down in the corner of her living room, her arms wrapped around Carl. The doors were shut, locked and bolted. The windows were all closed, the curtains drawn trying in vain to hide from the rampage outside.

Humans were going crazy, running through the streets in a frenzy the likes of which she had never seen before. They were looting shops and houses, they weren't safe here, but where could they go? Rick was in the hospital, shot in the line of duty. No, they were all alone.

They had to get to the hospital somehow, get Rick and leave town.

Lori didn't know where they would go – just anywhere else – away from people.

The stories on the news had started off with isolated incidents here and there, strange stories which seemed far fetched. Many people had thought that they were just sensationalist pieces, exaggerated to get people excited.

Fake news was hardly unheard of.

But then, pandemonium had hit, out of no where, like a wrecking ball.

The dead were rising, except this was not what the Bible had led them to believe, this was something out of a horror movie.

Reanimated corpses hungry for living flesh were splashed across TV'S across the world and then, two hours ago, all broadcasting had stopped.

Carl trembled in her arms as a loud crash made their home vibrate.

The little boy whimpered and clung to her even tighter, if that were possible.

"They're going to get us." Carl whispered against Lori's neck.

"I wont let them get you." She promised, her voice wooden, because she didn't know if she could keep her word.

Another car alarm went of as the roar of frenzied voices reached its crescendo.

Suddenly there was an even louder banging on the kitchen door and she had to stifle the scream which automatically built in her throat.

They were here!

Terrified, she dragged Carl with her under the dining room table, her hand over his mouth.

They hid there, their breathing ragged, but tempered, their eyes wild with fear, locked in silent communication.

"Lori!" a masculine voice called in a rough whisper. "Oh, god damn, where are you woman?"

Footsteps approached and Lori crawled out of their hiding place her entire being singing for joy, as relief flooded her entirely.

It was Shane!

Shane's ruggedly handsome face was harsh with worry and a focused energy, built on fear.

He hugged her to him briefly, "I thought...I thought..." he swallowed hard, his unspoken fear that she and Carl were dead already plain on his face.

Carl ran to them, his arms around Shane instantly. "You came!"

"Of course I did." Shane said in a low voice. "I'll always come for you, I ain't gonna let anything happen to you or your mom. You got that?"

Carl nodded happily.

"We need to get Rick." Lori said urgently, "Its not safe there."

Shanes face changed, his features turning to granite as his dark eyes glittered with unshed tears. "He's gone, Lori, I've just come from the hospital now. He flat lined moments before...the power went out...they're shooting people in the halls...people, Lori, not those things. We have to get out of here now! Get a few things together, we leave in five minutes."

Lori stared at him her wide eyes filled with tears and they cascaded down her cheeks silently, the pain of her loss painful to watch.

Carl moaned and collapsed at their feet, sobs coming from him. Shane knelt at once and gathered Carl up into his arms, muffling the sound of his anguish against his chest.

Shane levelled a harsh glance at the stunned woman before him.

"We have to go NOW! If we don't, we'll all die." Shane knew his meaning wasn't reaching her. "Lori, Carl will die if we don't run now!"

That moved her.

Robotically she moved into the next room, returning few minutes later with two duffel bags, her face was now clear from tears.

"You ready?"

She nodded, not meeting his eyes.


End file.
